Artificial hand



vD. HIRSCH.

ARTIFICIAL HAND. APPLICATION FILED JULY 13.1918.

1,3'6 2,793. Patented Dec. 21,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID HIRSCH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ARTIFICIAL HAND.

weaves.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID HInsoH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Artificial Hands, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates tov improvements in artificial hands wherein separable matching hooks operate in conjunction with an improved and novel construction to rotate said hooks when the elbow is bent and certain back or arm muscles are tensioned or flexed; and the objects of my invention are First, to provide a new and improved construction for artificial hands;

Second, to provide an improved construction of the class described whereby a greater adjustability of the hand relatively to the arm of the operator may be obtained;

Third, to provide an improved constuction for artificial hands and the like which may be assembled easily and cheaply to provide a hand having a maximum utility and strength;

Fourth, to provide an improved construction for quickly and easily attaching and detaching the hand from the arm or stump socket;

Fifth, to provide an improved construction wherein the hand detaching and rotating means may be embodied within one piece; and

Sixth, to provide an improved construction for artificial hands and the like wherein a greater leverage may be applied to the rotating and hook separating means thereby permitting the provision of greater reacting mechanisms to impart greater strength to the manipulations of said hand.

I accomplish these several objects by means of' the improved construction disclosed in the drawings forming a part of the present specification wherein like charactors of reference are used to designate similar parts throughout the said specification and drawings, and in which Figure 1 is a general view of the arm as applied to an operator;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in vertical section of the matching hooks and op erating mechanism therefor in an inverted position;

Fig..- 3 is a side elevation of the reverse Specification of LettersPatent. Pate t d D 21 1920.

Application filed July 13, 1918.

Serial No. 245,777.

side of the mechanism with the hooks detached therefrom;

Fig. l is a bottom plan view of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 2 with the hooks removed; and

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan or end view of the hooks removed from the operating mechanism therefor.

Referring to the drawings the IlLll'IlBIELl l is used to designate a socket to receive the stump of the amputated arm as disclosed in Fig. 1 of the drawings. To the lower end of the stump is secured a metallic cup 2 by means of metallic side pieces 3, said cup 2 being provided with a slot 4 and a reduced tubular portion 6 within which is rotatably mounted an internally threaded sleeve 7 having an annular flange 8 on the inner end thereof provided with a lateral beveled groove 9.

A sleeve 11, provided with a radially grooved flange 12 on the outer end thereof, is rigidly screwed within the internally threaded sleeve 7 so as to provide substantially a single member comprising the sleeves 7 and 11, the purpose of which will hereinafter be more fully set forth.

As the flanges 8 and 12 are of greater diameter than the ends of the reduced portion 6 it is evident that both sleeves will be held against longitudinal movement while rotatablv mounted within said reduced portion.

The grooves of the radially grooved flange 12 are provided to receive a pin 14: extending laterally from a cylindrical shank or stud 16 of a hook 17 having pivotally mounted thereon a hook 18 matching with said hook 17 at the outer end thereof.

The hooks 17 and 18 are normally held closed by meansof a suitable spring 20. The movable hook 18 is provided with an arcuate extension 19 adapted to serve as a thumb to the operator and also as a lever by means of which the hook 18 may be separated from the hook 17. The arcuate extension 19 is provided with an eyelet 21 to which a cord may be secured to operate said hook 18 in a manner hereinafter more fully described.

Slidably mounted within the beveled groove 9 of the annular flange 8 is a latch 22 having an aperture 23 therein actuated to move under a beveled head 24 of a screw 26, screwed into the inner end of the shank or stud 16 of the hook 18,193? meansof a spring 27. A pin 28 in the latch 22 limits the movement of the said latch 22 when the boveled head 24 of the screw 26 is disengaged therefrom.

5 By moving the latch 22 inwardly against the tension of the spring 27 the aperture 23 Will register with the beveled head 24 of "the screw 26 and thereby disengage said head 24. The hooks 17 and 18may be then partially withdrawn from the sleeves 7 and 1'1 and partially rotated and again moved into said sleeves to cause'the pin 14 to engage a different groove in the radially grooved head or flange of the sleeve 11 there 15 by providing a meanswhereby the position of the hooks 17 and 18 may be adjusted relatively to the sleeves.

The outer end of the latch 22 extends through theslot 4 in the metalliccup 2 and hasalateraleXtensiOn 29provided with a pin 31 to which anoperating cord 32is attached, said cord 32' then passing over a pulley or roller 33 rotatably mounted upon one ofthe'metallic side pieces 3 and under a guard 34 having inclined extensions 36 to retain thecord 32 when slack. After leaving the pulley or roller 33 the cord 32 passes along the back of the socket 1 and is attached to a' leather strip 37 connecting the socket 1 and'upper corset 38 arranged to be laced or otherwise secured 't'othe upper'portion of the arm of said operator, 5 Thesocket 1 is'hingedlyconnected to the corset 38 by means offmetallic side pieces 39" and 40 secured to the said corset 38 and the socket lfr'espectively, as at 41. A's'uitab'le harness 42secures or holds the corset 38 in position uponthe'body of the" 40 operator,

A'cord43 isattached to the eyelet21 of the arcuate'thiimbpiece or extension 19 of """the hook 18 and isseparate'd into two sections' 44 whichpass on either side of the 45socket1 and through suitable guides or eye let's on thesidepieces 39 01: the corset 38" "and after traversing the lellgth ofsaid corset 38 are again joined into a single strand or cord 4'6 which is attached to the rear of the harness 42 or in somecases'passes to the -other side of the shoulder of the operator.

Inthe present state ofth'e art the cord 43 "for opening the matching hooks 17 and 18 is" generally attached to an extra lever extendingfrom approximatelythe screw 48 which'pivotally'eonnects the hooks 17 and.

18. ln the 'presentinvention the operating "*cord 43 is secured tothe 'thumb'piece or arcuate extension 19 of the hook 18'thereby 6'0 "eliminating the e'xtra lever and providing a"greater leverage for'the operation of the 'Saidhook, therefore a""greater tension may b'e'applied to the s ring 18andconseqi'1ently In operation the hooks 17 and 18 are partially rotated when the arm of the operator is bent to carry the artificial hand toward the head, as when placing a hat combing the latch 22 to partially rotate the sleeves 7 and 11 and thereby partially rotate the hooks 17 and 18. Thearrangementof this latch 22 also provides a means whereby a greater leverage may be obtained over-the device generally used in the presentstate of the art.

As the latch 22 is removed by the cord 32 it in turn rotates the flange 8and sleeve 7 as well asthe sleeve 11 and radially grooved flange 12 thereon which flange; 12 by engaging the pin 14 also rotates the shank or stud of the hook 17 and matching hook 18 pivotally connected thereto.

When the hands is returned to a normal or straight position as indicated in Fig. l of the drawings the flange 8-and the hooks 17 and 18 operatively connected thereto are instantlyreturned to a normal position by means of aspring 5 having one end attached tothe periphery of the annular flange 8 of the sleeve 7 and'aftertraversing a portion of the periphery of saidflange 8 has the other end thereof secured to the metallic cup2 as at 10.

The hooks 17 and 18 may be readily and easily detached by moving the latch 22 inwardlyagainst the tension of the spring 27 whereby the aperture 23 will be moved into "registration with the bevel headed screw 24 and thereby disengage said screw and thehooks 17 and 18 may beeasi1'y"removed. In placing the hooks 17 and 18 of the shank 16 within the sleeve 11" and "moving it inwardly with suflicientpressure to cause thebevel head 24 ofthe'screw 26 to move the latch 22 longitudinally until said'screw head passes throughthe aperture 23 when the tension of the spring 27 will return the latch to engage-the screw.

1 am aware that the present state of the art discloses artificial hands comprising matching hooks rotated at the wrist when 115 the arm is bent-{I therefore do not wish to claim such a combinationbroadly. but

What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is- 1. An artificial hand comprisinga socket; a peripherally slottedcup mounted on the socket and provided with a hollow extension; a hollow membenrota'tablymounted in the extension; a shank rotatably mounted in the member and-adapted to be adjnsted therein to difierent-radial positions; said shank having'hooks at its outer'ends;

means for retaining the shank in its ad- "extending throi'igh" the 'slot in thefcup for 13( detachably retaining the shank in a fixed position longitudinally within the member, the last-mentioned retaining means having operative means connected therewith outside of the cup for rotating the member and therewith also the shank and the hooks.

2. An artificial hand comprising a socket; a peripherally slotted cup mounted on the socket and provided with a hollow extension; a hollow member rotatably mounted in the extension and having a groove in one end; a latch slidably mounted in the groove and extending through the slot; a shank mounted in the member and retained therein by the latch said shank having hooks at its outer end; and means connected with the latch outside of the cup for rotating the member and therewith also the shank and the hooks.

3. An artificial hand comprising a socket; a peripherally slotted cup mounted on the socket and provided with a hollow extension; a hollow member rotatably mounted in the extension and having a transverse groove in one end and radial grooves in its other end; a latch slidably and yieldingly mounted in the transverse groove and extending through. the slot; a shank rotatably mounted in the member and detachably retained therein by the latch, said shank having hooks at its outer end; means connected with the latch outside of the cup for rotating the member and therewith also the shank and the hooks; and means upon the shank adapted to engage a selected radial groove for holding the shank in a fixed position radially within the member and adjustment to any other similarly fixed position being possible by the yielding engagement of the latch with the shank.

4. An artificial hand comprising a socket; a cup mounted on the socket and provided with a hollow extension; a shank mounted within the hollow extension and adapted to slide longitudinally therein, said shank having hooks at its outer end and a projection at its inner end; and means for yieldingly engaging the projection in order to retain the shank within the hollow extension, the projection being adapted to force retaining engagement with the retaining means when the projection is pressed against the retaining means.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my signature.

DAVID HIRSCI-I. 

